The Path to Lifetime Learning

Watching the leaves start to change and seeing my own children head back into the daily pattern of school and homework makes me think about learning and the importance of education in my life - and in all of our lives. I know we've all heard kids ask, "Why do I have to know this?" or "Where will I ever use this?" But how often do we consider how important it is to engage our brains in new and different activities on a regular basis? Sometimes we all forget the importance of shifting our focus from time to time in order to look at a problem or issue with a new outlook. Have you ever looked at a particular problem with a historic perspective to see if you might learn from the past?

A 2008 study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in Wilmington, Del. asked a random sample of 2,508 American adults a series of basic questions related to American heritage. Sadly, 71% of Americans failed the test, with an overall average score of 49%. This should serve as a wakeup call for all of us.

Looking at these scores makes me wonder what is missing in today's schools. However, I think we also ought to look inward and ask ourselves, what happened to our curiosity? What happened to our pride in our country and knowing where we've come from?

Learning is a Journey

Albert Einstein said, "Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." We all need to be lifetime learners capable of extending ourselves, learning new topics, growing, and improving as we go along. We need to keep our minds open and curious to new things, new possibilities, and new ways of doing things.

This is what we do with People to People Ambassador Programs. We try to aide in learning by experience. This applies to adults, students, athletes, and professionals alike. We firmly believe that seeing and experiencing new cultures, and places, helps us become globalized citizens and gives a greater sense of the world. History seen and experienced brings applied learning, which is much more memorable than reading about it in a book.

We are all a part of a glorious history. Learn it, embrace it, and most importantly, take an active part in your own growth and your own history. History happens each and every day. So does learning, if you choose to be a part of it.

Lily Tomlin once said, "The road to success is always under construction." So true. If we each try to be open to learning something from our everyday experiences, strive to improve our methods, and shake things up a bit, I think we will all live a much more vibrant life.

Wishing you happy travels,

Jeff Thomas
CEO, People to People Ambassador Programs

It's Fall in Spokane

Our summer hot spell here at our Spokane headquarters seems to have come to an abrupt end, and now fall is in the air. As a volleyball enthusiast and coach, fall is my favorite time of year. All of us - parents, teachers and students are getting back into the swing with the back-to-school ritual. No matter where you grew up, there is a familiar cadence and energy around the start of another school year. For me, back-to-school brings back memories of learning new subjects, discovering different ideas, meeting new teachers and embracing old and new friendships.

The Global Text Generation

Experts predict that this generation of young people is positioned to be the most literate, informed and technologically sophisticated, ever. From text messaging to Facebook, their world is smaller and more interconnected than ever before. This interconnectivity adds to the everyday frantic pace of life as it picks up speed like a race to be at the front of the lunch line. Imagine what the world will be like when today's students enter the workforce in the next 10 years!

Gaining knowledge, compassion and a keen understanding of the international landscape is the critical foundation students must have in order to advance in today's globalized world. But this just won't happen in everyday educational settings. Traveling outside the classroom to be immersed in other cultures is the very best way for young people to gain a global perspective, and become prepared to contribute and succeed in a global society.

The need to travel is timeless, and the investment made to travel is priceless. In a recent national survey, parents said they saw improvements in their child's grades when they traveled. Teachers feel international travel opportunities also help inspire students to apply themselves in the classroom. The hands-on learning that takes place through travel helps students fully understand, grasp and remember concepts. Our own research has also found that a higher percentage of high school students who travel internationally are accepted into their college of choice.

Big Ideas = Big Results

Our Leadership Programs attract some of the top students from around the globe to help them prepare for the future. One of the significant changes we've recently made to our Leadership Programs is giving our students access to more prominent speakers, leaders and dreamers of dreams. Why? We want expose today's young people to the paths of leaders and for those same prominent individuals to share their experiences with the leaders of tomorrow. It's one thing to be more connected with technology, but an important piece of the puzzle falls into place when we then show our students how to apply their knowledge, strengths, passions and dreams on a global perspective. Then, we quickly realize that nothing is impossible.

That's why I had the honor of introducing General Colin Powell to our Washington DC World Leadership Forum the other week, and NBC correspondent Luke Russert to speak with students in Chicago over the summer, sharing ideas, and talking about seizing life's opportunities. We talk a lot about empowerment in our programs, being the best you can be, and realizing that we can all make a difference in our own way; accomplishing dreams by working hard and never losing site of the target. Watch for more announcements about other high-powered speakers and exciting new programs for 2010!

Wishing you success in fulfilling your own dreams,

Peg Thomas

President, People to People Ambassador Programs